Invalid-bed



T. DODDS.

INVALID BED.

APPLICATION FILED SEiT. 16. 1919.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THOMAS DODDS, OF THESSALON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

INVALID-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Application filed September 16, 1919. Serial No..324,164.

lowing is a-specification.

.Thisginvention relates to improvements in invalid beds, and the objectsof the invention are to providemeans whereby a portion of the mattressmay be raised to bring the patient into a sitting up position andsimultaneously to ,providegmeans which will en- ,gage'with the underportionof the knees and prevent the ,patient from slipping down- .wardlytoward the bottom of the bed, to

permitiof-the lowerend or bottom, or the upper or topend of the bedbeing elevated so that the feet of the patient may be brought intoposition above that of hisihead, or the head brought into a positionabove the feet with the body of the patient lying in an inclinedposition, and generally to adapt the bed to better perform the functionsrequired of it.

' WVith the above and other objects in view the invention consistsessentially of the improved construction hereinafter described and setforth in the following specification and accompanying drawings formingpart of the same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bed embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. r

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section of the lower end of the bedshowing the locking mechanism.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a bed comprising a frame 10 inwhich the frame 11 of a spring mattress is mounted. This frame 11 isprovided along its lateral walls with eyes with which the pins 12 engageand these pins are connected to a pair of hinged plates 13 which may beactuated whereby the apex of the plates will be ra1sed to form a stop toprevent the patient shpping downwardly in the bed when his head has beenelevated. The plate 13 remote from that which carries the pins 12 isconnected through the link 14 with a rod 15 connected to the upperhinged portion 16 of the frame 11,.and this hinged portion is designedto be actuated by a curvilinearrack 17 and intermeshing pinions 18 asdescribed in my previous Canadian Patent No. 190,399.

'The posts 20 of the lower end of the bed are formed hollow and in thesame, posts 21 are mounted provided with racks .22

adapted to mesh with gears 23 carried by the transversely eXtending rod24 which has a squared projecting end 25 designed to be engaged by acrank lever handle so that on rotation of the rod 2% the gear 23intermeshing with the rack 22 will feed the rods 21 outwardly and soelevate the lower end of the bed.

The .rod 24 is provided intermediate of its length with aigear 26 withwhich the spring posts 28 are slidably mounted provided with racks 29adapted to mesh with gears 30 carried by a transversely extending rod 31which has a squared projecting end designed to be engaged by a cranklever handle so that on rotation of the rod 31 the gear 30 intermeshingwith the rack 29 will feed the racks outwardly and so elevate the upperend of the bed.

The rod 32 is provided with a suitable gear and spring controlled dog(not shown) similar to that described with reference to the rod 24: andwhereby the upper end of the bed when elevated may be held in thedesired position.

When this bed is in use and it is necessary to bring the patient into a.sitting up posi-.

tion the hinged portion 16 of the frame 11 is elevated through theintermeshing rack and pinion 17 and 18 as described in-my previousCanadian Patent No. 190,399 and during this operation the rod 15 willhave moved the links 14 toward the top of the bed, thereby causing thetwo plates 13 to move about their hinged point so elevating the hingedpoint and forming an inverted V-shape which will engage with the innerside of the knee of the patient and prevent his slipping down in thebed.

Under some circumstances it is found necessary to elevate the patientsfeet above his head and when this is necessary the rod 24 is rotated bya crank handle so that the gears 23 meshing with the racks 22 feed therods 21 outwardly to elevate the lower end of the bed which is held indesired position by the dog 27 engaging with the gear 26. in loweringthe lower end of the bed the dog 27 is disengaged from the gear 26 whenthe bed will lower under gravity. When the patient is going to lie downthe nurse or attendant lowers the upper hinged portion 16 of the frame11 and in so doing the two plates 13 are depressed to lie in ahorizontal plane so that the bed will then appear as an ordinary bedwith the members of the frame 11 lying in one horizontal plane.

If it is found desirable that the patient should be brought into aninclined position with the head above the feet then the upper end of thebed is elevated by actuation of the rod 31 whereby the posts 29 are fedoutwardly from the hollow legs 27 to bring the upper end of the bed tothe desired position. The lowering of the upper end of the bed iscontrolled in the same manner as the lower end and it is thoughtunnecessary to enlarge upon the same.

From this description it will be seen that I have invented an invalidbed which can be advantageously utilized in hospitals, infirmaries andthe like, in which the patient may sit up or recline on the bed in sucha position that it is impossible for the patient to slip toward thelower end of the bed and in which the bed may be adjusted so that theinvalids or occupants feet can be brought to a position above the heightof the head of the said occupant.

As many changes could be made in the aboveconstruction, and manyapparently widely different embodiments of my invention, within thescope of the claim, constructed without departing from the spirit orscope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theaccompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What 1 claim as my invention is:

An invalid bed, comprising a frame formed in two portions, one portionbeing movable, a pair of transversely extending hinged plates on theframe, one of the plates being connected to the frame, link meansconnecting the other plate to the hinged por tion of the frame, thehinged plates being designed to form an inverted V-shape when the hingedportion of the frame is elevated.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS DQDDS.

Witnesses:

T. E. WILLIAMs, RUBY Kmnr.

